CAMPAIGNING done, declarations done, swearing in done. Now it’s time for newly elected and re-elected Ipswich councillors to show us they are worthy of our trust and get down to business.
Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at 1 Nicholas Street as councillors prepare for the post-election meeting today (April 11)?
Four newly elected or returning councillors have already had a round of meet and greets with the CEO, senior management and councillor support staff. They should also be doing a lot of listening and hasten slowly.
The ways of local government can create unseen traps for new players.
There’s been a raft of changes to the Local Government Act and councillor code of conduct in recent years to help prevent bad behaviour so councillors should not let it creep into dealings with council staff.
Word can travel fast if a councillor misbehaves or gets a reputation for putting in unreasonable requests. Importantly, courtesy costs nothing.
For this second election since council was under administration, we can expect a much smoother transition with a CEO appointed by those re-elected to the chamber.
Unfortunately for Ipswich, this wasn’t the scenario in 2020. The previous CEO was appointed by the administrator and resigned owing in part to his allegedly less than frank and honest advice. Whether deliberate or not it quite possibly contributed to an atmosphere of distrust between councillors and between councillors and management.
Thankfully the situation is different for this new term. All councillors should be approaching the next four years with a positive attitude. For first time councillors it will be a case of once elected reality quickly sets in the job is a lot different to how it may be perceived.
One last thing. Councillors should avoid using the Office of Independent Assessor to lodge trivial or get square complaints about fellow councillors. It’s the first step on a slippery slope to a dysfunctional council and we certainly don’t want that.
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